Uphill Climb

In life, you can pretty much expect to have many obstacles to overcome - pain, suffering, trials, tribulations, loss, change, and many other variations.  Some view them as hurdles, others as mountains, but most would agree that they are challenges.  Some choose to run from challenges, while others readily yell, "Bring it on!"  As for me, I think a good challenge now and then is a very positive thing, as it teaches you many lessons.  While I could take time to digress on the topic of challenges, the uphill climb of this post is very literally that - Dusty and I went on a hike last weekend and it was most definitely an uphill climb!

To start, it was an insanely humid absolutely gorgeous day.  We drove quite a ways to our destination and it was such a cool journey!  The views were picturesque and it was interesting to go around the really windy roads!  We were bound and determined to find and hike what is called Devil's Marbleyard (you'll soon see why).  When we got there, we crossed the little footbridge and Dusty graciously obliged me in the multiple photo ops of the day.

At the very start...not sweaty and gross.

According to my own common sense and every single person I talked to, this sign is way off the mark as far as mileage goes. It was WAY further than 1 mile, but that just added to the adventure and mystery of our trip!

Dusty, getting acquainted with the trail system.

Me, getting acquainted with the idea that we may be eaten by bears.

The hike starts to get steep. See how Dusty looks tiny up there???

The trail was actually pretty steep for most of the way - it was not too long before sweaty and gross became two adjectives that accurately portrayed us.  You can see from the picture above how rocky the trail was, too!  It was a constant mission of focus so you could do your best to avoid tripping or rolling your ankle!  It was absolutely a workout, but it was so pretty along the way - I'd happily trade the gym for these views!

Dusty surveys the best route across the creek! "Don't get your shoes wet!"

And this is the best route.

Crazy cool hot orange mushrooms were EVERYWHERE!

Waterfall!!!!  So pretty!

One thing that was undeniable was the glory of God!  To see all of the intricate details of His world on this hike, it was genuinely mind-boggling.  It was easy to feel so small in this vast display of nature, but it was also just as easy to feel special that He wanted to let us be a part of it!

After hiking 100 miles a few miles, we finally reached what we'd come to conquer - the devil's marbles!!!!  Now, keep in mind, we ordinarily would never be interested in walking anywhere with the devil even though we're completely aware that he walks among us every day.  This site, however, could not have been created by anyone other than our great and glorious God!  I need to research where Devil's Marbleyard gets its name! 

Do you see that white section towards the top of the mountain?????

Here it is up close!  Is this not the coolest?!?!? Literally the top of the mountain is littered with huge rocks or "marbles" and they're just in one spot on the mountain!!!! Doesn't Dusty look like a total stud here????

We finally made it!

Celebratory smooch for surviving! (Although, please note that storm behind us).

So, we finally made it to the marbles and were intending to scale them all the way to the top.  The plans changed, however, right after the photo above was taken.  It literally began to POUR DOWN rain seconds after that picture - we almost didn't even have time to get the phone back in the backpack! While most people would be completely bummed to have made it that far and not be able to complete the challenge, Dusty and I were nothing but grateful.  We really did want to finish, but it had been SO HOT and humid on the hike that this storm was so refreshing! In fact, I'd even go so far as to say it was romantic, as well! You have to imagine it from my perspective.  Here I was, sitting on a gorgeous mountain top with the person I love more than anyone in the world. It was just the two of us - there wasn't another human in sight - and we had just helped each other complete a very physically demanding challenge.  We literally felt on top of the world and so incredibly small at the same time looking at the wonders around us, but how awesome it was to be able to experience that together!

The one disturbance to my romantic scene was reality.  When it rains, huge rocks get really slippery really quickly.  When you and your husband are literally sitting on huge slippery rocks, and you're surrounded by huge slippery rocks preventing you from getting back to the trail in every direction, it's easy to feel a tad bit panicked.  What do you do?  Leave it to Dusty to be the leader, protector, and provider he is!  He found the PERFECT little canopy of trees that were growing over a section of the rocks, and it was completely dry there!  He lead me to our little "fort" and we waited out the storm there and enjoyed a much-needed water break and each other's company.  We were drenched and looked pretty hilarious!

Once the storm had passed, it was back down the mountain.  As I mentioned before, the trail was miles long and we didn't want to be hiking in the dark!  Our hike down was just as gorgeous as it was on the way up!

Drenched but alive and well!

I am the luckiest.

There are many reasons why I absolutely adored this weekend outing, but I'll outline my top 5.  Here goes nothing.

1. I got to spend some "unplugged," uninterrupted quality time with my husband - in this day and age, that is a big deal, and it made me so happy that we consciously made each other our number one priority.

2. We truly got to experience an adventure - we didn't know where we were going, how long it would take to get there, how many miles the journey would end up to be, how challenging the trail was.  We got to tackle this adventure together as a team!  It's incredible how important it is to meet challenges together and also to seek them out!  Marriage is a partnership between the two of you as a couple and God, and marriage cannot work without 110% from each of the three involved. Little teamwork displays such as navigating the best course over creeks, helping each other up and over boulders, finding shelter during a storm, protecting one another, communicating openly and directly, and accomplishing small attainable goals did so much for filling our hearts and spirits.  Find joy in marriage, and if you're in a season where that's not really natural, spend some time in prayer and then MAKE joy in your marriage!  Do the work, and you will reap the benefits!

3. God's creativity was so apparent and gave me so many reminders of things I am grateful for! It was nice to spend some quiet time away from technology and the trappings of our over-stimulated, busy world! It was good for my soul to have to slow down.

4. The physical benefits were immediate for me.  Although it was humid at first, the clean air, the increase in heart rate, the stretching of muscles, and the cooling and cleansing rain just made me feel good!  (Not to mention, I slept like a baby that evening!!!)

5. This hike was one of many amazing memories that my husband and I will be able to look back on and smile.  From the feelings of accomplishment, to the romance of feeling like the only two people in the world, to the breathtaking views of our own home state, our little adventure simply made me want more memories just like these!

I hope you get inspired to get up and GO! Make joy and memories!
Ribs